This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Fluffy inside with crisp, golden edges, this easy banana pancake recipe turns one overripe banana into a breakfast everyone loves.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
This banana pancakes recipe comes from an unlikely source: a Williams Sonoma children’s cookbook, which tells you just how easy it is to make. Mashed ripe banana gives the pancakes natural sweetness and plenty of banana flavor, while vanilla adds a warm finishing note. I love them with a simple drizzle of maple syrup, or topped with sliced bananas to hint at what’s inside.
“SO good! I’m constantly making batches of these. The family devours them! Sometimes I add a handful of chocolate chips, but they’re lovely as is.”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Pancakes
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt: Flour provides the structure, while baking powder gives the pancakes their light, fluffy texture. For the most accurate measurement, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Banana: The riper, the better—a heavily spotted or brown banana will give you the sweetest, most pronounced banana flavor. Frozen and thawed bananas work well, too—see my guide on how to freeze bananas for details on freezing and thawing.
- Eggs and milk: Eggs add richness and structure, while milk keeps the batter tender. Any type of milk works here.
- Sugar and vanilla: A little sugar supplements the banana’s natural sweetness, while vanilla rounds out the flavor.
- Melted Butter: Adds richness to the batter and flavor as the pancakes cook.
- Vegetable Oil: Using oil along with butter helps the pancakes brown without the butter burning.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Banana Pancakes
Mix the batter: Whisk the dry ingredients together so the baking powder and salt are evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, mash the banana until nearly smooth, then combine it with the wet ingredients. Fold the wet mixture into the dry just until combined. Don’t try to work out every lump—the batter should be thick and a little lumpy, and overmixing can make the pancakes tough.
Cook the pancakes: Heat a little oil and butter in a nonstick skillet or on a griddle; the butter adds flavor while the oil helps keep it from burning. Add the batter and cook until bubbles form on the surface and the undersides are golden and crisp. Flip and cook through without pressing down with the spatula, which can deflate the pancakes.
Serve or store: Serve warm with maple syrup and sliced bananas, or add your favorite toppings. Leftover pancakes can be frozen for an easy breakfast another time; see the recipe card below for freezing instructions.
Video Tutorial
More Pancake Recipes You’ll Love
Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
For Pancakes
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 small over-ripe banana, peeled (the browner, the better)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For Cooking
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For Serving
- Maple syrup
- Sliced bananas
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork until almost smooth. Whisk in the eggs, then add the milk and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour the banana mixture and the melted butter into the flour mixture. Fold the batter gently with a rubber spatula until just blended; do not over-mix. The batter will be thick and lumpy.
- Set a griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat until hot. Put a pad of butter and one tablespoon vegetable oil onto the griddle, and swirl it around. Drop the batter by ¼-cupfuls onto the griddle, spacing the pancakes about 2 inches apart. Cook until a few holes form on top of each pancake and the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is puffed, 1 to 2 minutes more. Using the spatula, transfer the pancakes to a serving plate.
- Wipe the griddle clean with paper towels, add more butter and oil, and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the pancakes while still hot with maple syrup and sliced bananas, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Very nice
This has been our fave go-to pancake recipe for a long time. I let bananas over-ripen in anticipation for this, and it never disappoints. Jenn’s Blueberry pancake recipe is also amazing. So when I have blueberries, I add a few onto each banana pancake. My own hybrid pancake. I make the full recipe for the two of us, and the extras are saved for the next day. I keep them between a couple layers of paper towels, then they are heated up in the toaster oven covered with parchment paper. This works for me in keeping them moist. Try them with that blueberry maple syrup! Oh – coconut oil to cook them in for extra yum!
Wow Jenn, these were the best pancakes I’ve ever had, let alone made! Fluffy and flavorful. I used 1.5 overripe bananas because that’s what I had on hand. Also had a 1/2 lemon I needed to use, so I squeezed it into the measuring cup before measuring the milk and let the milk plus lemon sit for a few minutes to make homemade buttermilk. Topped with a touch of salted Kerrygold butter and fresh maple syrup. Divine. Thank you for this recipe!
Fabulous pancakes! I used King Arthur’s gluten free blend and they were beautifully fluffy, and crisp. I would describe my banana as large versus small but it didn’t ruin the recipe at all. My 5 year old, who is extremely picky, requested “snow” on top (aka powdered sugar) and proceeded to devour them with a “yummy, mommy!” My 2 year old also loved them. This is a fantastic recipe that I’ll be using again and again as I have many ripe bananas in the freezer, waiting to be baked. I’ve cooked/baked numerous recipes by Jenn, and they simply don’t disappoint. She is my go-to as I have limited time in the kitchen with tiny humans and I don’t like wasting precious ingredients. She makes me a super star in my own kitchen and I’m extremely grateful! ⭐️ ♥️ 😋
Seriously the absolute BEST banana pancakes that I’ve had. If you haven’t made these, you are really missing out!
Jen, I love these as pancakes, but just got a new waffle iron—what adjustments, if any, would I have to make to use this recipe for waffles?
Thanks for such a wonderful recipe 🙂
So glad you like them! Hi, I wouldn’t recommend making waffles out of these as they’re really not intended to be converted. Although they don’t have banana mixed in, you could try these waffles. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
It came out wonderfully well the 3-4 times we have used this recipe.
We used two bananas of approximately 5inches, and like the ratio and taste of the pancakes.
Easy to whip up and just as delightful to have as a treat for breakfast or teatime. Absolutely approve.
Not sure what went wrong but my batter turned out quite runny, maybe as I had extra large eggs vs large ones, thought it should not have made a big difference. I had to almost add half of more flour
Hi Anushree the difference in the size of the eggs should not made a difference because I used 2 extra large eggs and it came out great for me. Maybe your measurements for the milk and melted butter was off. I hope you try it again because they are delicious.
I’ve made these weekly and they are delicious! Perfect use for (over) ripe bananas and I’ve been playing around with the different flours on my shelf. All have done very well – next I’m going to try separating the egg, and folding in the peaky whites at the very end to make them even more fluffy – well maybe – but honestly just follow the recipe!
Very good pancakes! My girls scarfed them down. A good way to sneak in bananas for my 3 year old who doesn’t like eating plain bananas.
The best!!! Absolutely amazing!!!